The?Ferraris, Ford Fiestas, Aston Martins, and the Hyundai Velosters were in top gear.
The Bushy Park track was in top shape.
And if the high-powered machines and the new and enhanced track at Bushy Park for the Top Gear Festival get high marks, the treatment of the press barely receive a passing grade.
There were complaints at almost every turn from the media centre, especially on Saturday, the opening day of the much heralded event boosted by the appearance of 2008 Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and several other notable drivers from Europe and the United States.
Frustrated by their restricted entry passes, which debarred them from moving to certain critical areas, journalists in the Media Centre had no Wi-Fi access.
In other words, they could not connect to the internet wirelessly. That was not all: the media centre was probably the only facility at Bushy Park on Saturday where the public address (PA)?system and the unique commentary from Jeremy Clarkson and the team of Top Gear presenters could not be heard.
This situation was remedied on Sunday, but it was further proof, if any was needed, that members of the media are, more often than not, not high in the pecking order. It goes without saying that the VIP?tent and the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) booth would not have had such pitfalls.
With the Media Centre adjacent to the pits, photographers had to shoot through the fence. Photographers said the media centre needs to be elevated for it to be a viable shooting option. On Sunday, they were given the benefit for one hour of shooting from the imposing two-storey complex of prominent businessman Sir Kyffin Simpson, which is located in the centre of the facility.
Hamilton was the undoubted star of the show and a few fans got a chance to mingle with the first black man to win a Formula 1 world title, but at no stage was he presented to the media. It was most disappointing that throughout his stay, Hamilton never conducted an interview with the local media.
It’s not good enough! The media deserve more respect and it was quite unfortunate that the organisers or his management team never felt it was important that Hamilton say a few words to the press.
That part of the meet was a roaring success as two As – one for the high-powered machines, one for the track – and a C for the treatment of the media still add up to a passing grade.
Operations manager of the Bushy Park Circuit Inc., Mark Hamilton, summed up the views of almost and sundry.
“Barbadians recognised a world-class entertainment show and they came out in their thousands to see what it was all about and they certainly were not disappointed. Hamilton and Ken Block put on a show, the Global Rallycross (GRC) drivers tore up the track and we had some really vintage machines strutting their stuff.
“I think that Barbadians will reflect on the event as a great weekend out, something different, unusual, something they may not experience again,” he said.
Hamilton acknowledged that there were teething problems.
“We did have in some areas a slight issue with audio but that was dealt with quite efficiently. I think that all in all, we have learnt our lessons.
“It’s all a learning experience for us. We are dealing with a certain set of resources in terms of space. It’s been an evolving process for us and a learning curve particularly when from the point of view that we had a facility that was effectively only finished late Friday night or more so Saturday morning, where we still had bits of fencing going up,” he added.
Hamilton promised that the event which is carded for the next two years, will get better.
“We have taken all the comments and what we have noticed ourselves on board and I think that overall we are still very pleased with the outcome.
“The media are very important partners of ours, and we will strive for better not only for them but in all areas,” he said.
This was an entertainment package and not a speed event that left Barbadians with treasured memories. Hamilton, Ken Block, Tanner Foust, Nelson Piquet Jr, Steve “The lotus man”?Griffiths, Emma Gilmour and GRC winner Scott Speed can take a bow.
